Here we have provided NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 5 Footprints Without Feet by H G Wells. This is the story of a scientist who discovers how to make himself invisible.
Read and Find out-1
1. How did the invisible man first become visible?
Ans: He escaped easily enough from the boys who followed his footprints in London. But his adventures were by no means over. He had chosen a bad time of the year to wander about London without clothes. It was mid-winter. The air was bitterly cold and he could not do without clothes. Instead of walking about the streets he decided to slip into a big London store for warmth. Closing time arrived, and as soon as the doors were shut Griffin was able to give himself the pleasure of clothing and feeding himself without regard to expense. He broke open boxes and wrappers and fitted himself out with warm clothes. Soon, with shoes, an overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat, he became a fully dressed and visible person.
2. Why was he wandering the streets?
Ans: Griffin was rather a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and tried to eject him. In revenge he set fire to the house. To get away without being seen he had to remove his clothes. Thus it was that he became a homeless wanderer, without clothes and money.
Read and Find out-2
1. Why does Mrs Hall find the scientist eccentric?
Ans: The arrival of a stranger at an inn in winter was in any case an unusual event. A stranger of such uncommon appearance set all tongues wagging. Mrs Hall, the landlord’s wife, made every effort to be friendly. But Griffin had no desire to talk, and told her tha his reason for coming to Iping was a desire for solitude. He did not wish to be disturbed in his work. For all these reasons she regarded him as an eccentric scientist.
2. What curious episode occurs in the study?
Ans: Very early in the morning a clergyman and his wife were awakened by noises in the study. Creeping downstairs, they heard the chink of money being taken from the clergyman’s desk. Without making any noise and with a poker grasped firmly in his hand, the clergyman flung open the door.
Then to his amazement he realised that the room appeared to be empty. He and his wife looked under the desk, and behind the curtains, and even up the chimney. There wasn’t a sign of anybody. Yet the desk had been opened and the housekeeping money was missing. The clergyman kept saying the words “extraordinary affair” for the rest of the day.
3. What other extraordinary things happen at the inn?
Ans: The landlord and his wife were up very early, and were surprised to see the scientist’s door wide open. Usually it was shut and locked, and he was furious if anyone entered his room. The opportunity seemed too good to be missed. They peeped round the door, saw nobody, and decided to investigate. The bedclothes were cold, showing that the scientist must have been up for some time; and stranger still, the clothes and bandages that he always wore were lying about the room. All of a sudden Mrs Hall heard a sniff close to her ear. A moment later the hat on the bedpost leapt up and dashed itself into her face. Then the bedroom chair became alive. Springing into the air it charged straight at her, legs foremost. As she and her husband turned away in terror, the extraordinary chair pushed them both out of the room and then appeared to slam and lock the door after them. Mrs Hall almost fell down the stairs in hysterics. She was convinced that the room was haunted by spirits, and that the stranger had somehow caused these to enter into her furniture.
Think About It
1. “Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment.
Ans: Although Griffin was a brilliant scientist yet he was a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and when he tried to eject him, in revenge he set fire to the house. He had no money. Therefore, he stole and robbed people after becoming invisible. When he went into the London store, he gave himself the pleasure of clothing. He fed himself without regard to expense. Later, he went to Drury Lane, which was the centre of the theatre world. He went to a suitable shop and came out wearing bandages round his forehead, dark glasses, false nose, big bushy side-whiskers, and a large hat. He was visible then. To escape without being seen, he callously attacked the shopkeeper from behind, and robbed him of all the money he could find. When he had exhausted all the money he had stolen, he robbed a clergyman. He even attacked the innkeeper and his wife when they tried to sneak into his room. Later, when the police came to arrest him, he threw off his clothes, thereby becoming invisible and running away. Person like Griffin never think about the safety and well-being of others. They are only concerned about themselves.
2. How would you assess Griffin as a scientist?
Ans: Griffin, the scientist, had carried out experiment after experiment to prove that the human body could become invisible. Finally he swallowed certain rare drugs and his body became as transparent as a sheet of glass — though it also remained as solid as glass. This was a big achievement. However, he misused his discovery for personal gains and for hurting others. A true scientist should make discoveries for the larger benefit of society, not just for his own benefit. Thus, though he can be termed as a brilliant scientist, he was not a noble one.
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I hope that you would have enjoyed NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 5 Footprints Without Feet by H G Wells. If you have any query regarding this chapter, please feel free to get in touch with me through comment box or social media and I assure you to resolve all your queries related to the topic as soon as possible.
